HTTP/2 302 server: nginx date: Fri, 01 Aug 2025 15:32:53 GMT content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 content-length: 0 x-archive-redirect-reason: found capture at 20080921160724 location: https://web.archive.org/web/20080921160724/https://feeds.feedburner.com/TocCombinedFeed server-timing: captures_list;dur=0.797613, exclusion.robots;dur=0.033224, exclusion.robots.policy;dur=0.015097, esindex;dur=0.018144, cdx.remote;dur=25.327019, LoadShardBlock;dur=116.924452, PetaboxLoader3.datanode;dur=54.663602 x-app-server: wwwb-app222 x-ts: 302 x-tr: 170 server-timing: TR;dur=0,Tw;dur=0,Tc;dur=0 set-cookie: SERVER=wwwb-app222; path=/ x-location: All x-rl: 0 x-na: 0 x-page-cache: MISS server-timing: MISS x-nid: DigitalOcean referrer-policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade permissions-policy: interest-cohort=() HTTP/2 200 server: nginx date: Fri, 01 Aug 2025 15:32:54 GMT content-type: text/xml;charset=utf-8 x-archive-orig-date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:07:24 GMT x-archive-orig-server: Apache x-archive-orig-x-fb-host: app87 x-archive-orig-last-modified: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:58:32 GMT x-archive-orig-etag: o+TW+BzmZnL3rGHsndz6/2efypE x-archive-orig-p3p: CP="ALL DSP COR NID CUR OUR NOR" x-archive-orig-connection: close cache-control: max-age=1800 x-archive-guessed-content-type: text/xml x-archive-guessed-charset: utf-8 memento-datetime: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:07:24 GMT link: ; rel="original", ; rel="timemap"; type="application/link-format", ; rel="timegate", ; rel="first memento"; datetime="Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:55:08 GMT", ; rel="prev memento"; datetime="Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:16:14 GMT", ; rel="memento"; datetime="Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:07:24 GMT", ; rel="next memento"; datetime="Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:28:02 GMT", ; rel="last memento"; datetime="Mon, 20 Nov 2023 09:21:26 GMT" content-security-policy: default-src 'self' 'unsafe-eval' 'unsafe-inline' data: blob: archive.org web.archive.org web-static.archive.org wayback-api.archive.org athena.archive.org analytics.archive.org pragma.archivelab.org wwwb-events.archive.org x-archive-src: 51_5_20080921151747_crawl102-c/51_5_20080921155914_crawl107.arc.gz server-timing: captures_list;dur=0.693852, exclusion.robots;dur=0.027670, exclusion.robots.policy;dur=0.012891, esindex;dur=0.013759, cdx.remote;dur=22.622397, LoadShardBlock;dur=425.868092, PetaboxLoader3.datanode;dur=479.209881, PetaboxLoader3.resolve;dur=260.485504, load_resource;dur=361.054981 x-app-server: wwwb-app222 x-ts: 200 x-tr: 844 server-timing: TR;dur=0,Tw;dur=0,Tc;dur=0 x-location: All x-rl: 0 x-na: 0 x-page-cache: MISS server-timing: MISS x-nid: DigitalOcean referrer-policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade permissions-policy: interest-cohort=() https://toc.oreilly.com Analysis, news and insights about technology and business innovation in publishing. en Copyright 2008 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:42:26 -0500 https://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ https://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification <p>The question of how much authors can participate in the world of StartwithXML is a matter of legitimate debate. The skepticism about the subject, based on historical evidence, is certainly not unfounded.</p> <p>But it isn't like publishers aren't already aware that how authors deliver to them matters! Poking around the Web for other reasons, I found instructions to prospective authors on the site of a publisher I didn't previously know, <a href="https://possibilitypress.com/<wbr>about/authors/default.html">Possibility Press</a>.</p> <p>As you will see, this publisher instructs anonymous (prospective!) authors about the margins and fonts they should use in Word, and what naming conventions to employ when they save the files (in the specific way that Possibility directs.)</p> <p>For publishers who have already taken steps like these, the move to StartwithXML will be more like a refinement of current techniques than a wholesale change of procedure. And even if compliance is not 100 percent, and it almost certainly is not, it would seem likely that the work of creating these instructions is saved many times over in reduced work processing the manuscripts at the publisher's end.</p> <p class="related">Related:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/startwithxml">See more StartWithXML posts</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=gE7cL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=gE7cL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=L9Ezl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=L9Ezl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=wxRKl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=wxRKl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=mtOCL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=mtOCL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/397322237" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/397322237/startwithxml-doing-a-lot-of-it.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/startwithxml-doing-a-lot-of-it.html startwithxml Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:42:26 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/startwithxml-doing-a-lot-of-it.html <p>E-reader manufacturer <a href="https://www.irextechnologies.com/">iRex Technologies</a> is targeting the business market with its Reader 1000. From <a href="https://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/09/18/ereader-kindle-irex-tech-egang08-cx_ag_0918irex.html">Forbes</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>The iRex Reader 1000 offers a 10.2-inch diagonal E-Ink screen, far larger than Kindle's 6-inch screen or even iRex's own 8.1-inch diagonal iLiad, its last e-book model. That stretched display is designed to work with any file format, be it an e-book, a full-sized PDF, a Word document or HTML. Like earlier iRex devices, it sports a stylus and touch screen for taking notes and marking documents. </p></blockquote> <p>A basic Reader 1000 with no Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity and a read-only screen costs $650. The fully-equipped edition goes for $850.</p> <p>As Forbes notes, <a href="https://www.plasticlogic.com/product.html">Plastic Logic's recently announced e-reader</a> is also aimed at the business market.</p> <p>(<a href="https://twitter.com/jafurtado">Via Jose Alonso Furtado's Twitter stream</a>)</p> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/france-telecom-e-reader-includ.html">France Telecom E-Reader Includes Subscriptions</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/what-does-esquires-e-ink-cover.html">What Does Esquire's E Ink Cover Mean for Print Publishing?</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/uk-reaction-to-sony-reader-rel.html">UK Reaction to Sony Reader Release</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/05/what-would-your-ideal-ereader.html">What Would Your Ideal E-Reader Look Like?</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/05/irex-releases-next-version-of.html">Iliad Book Edition E-Reader Coming to UK</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=aKT2L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=aKT2L" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=mloTl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=mloTl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=D5pfl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=D5pfl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=zq6pL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=zq6pL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/397171226" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/397171226/irexs-large-e-reader-aimed-at.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/irexs-large-e-reader-aimed-at.html Publishing News business market ebooks ereaders iliad irex plastic logic reader 1000 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:05:40 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/irexs-large-e-reader-aimed-at.html <p><a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/maghound-customizable-magazine.html"><b>Maghound Customizable Magazine Service Launches</b></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.maghound.com/home.ep">Maghound</a>, a customizable magazine service from Time Inc., is now available. From <a href="https://www.foliomag.com/2008/time-inc-s-maghound-launches">Folio</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>The membership pricing is tiered-- three titles for $4.95 a month, five titles for $7.95, seven titles for $9.95, and $1 per title for eight titles or more. Memberships can be entirely managed online, as well as by email and phone, from changing magazine title selections to updating personal information and placing magazine delivery on hold for a temporary period. (<a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/maghound-customizable-magazine.html">Continue reading</a>)</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/france-telecom-e-reader-includ.html"><b>France Telecom E-Reader Includes Subscriptions</b></a></p> <p>France Telecom's Read & Go trial service bundles e-reader hardware with a subscription to mobile content. From <a href="https://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/sep2008/gb20080911_492474.htm?campaign_id=rss_eu">BusinessWeek</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>The trial of the prototype will wrap up this month, and by 2009, France Telecom aims to start distributing the Read & Go in conjunction with a subscription-based news service of the same name. For a monthly charge similar to a mobile service plan, customers will receive an over-the-air stream of aggregated content from a wide assortment of information sources. Alongside the articles will be ads that help defray the cost of the service. (<a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/france-telecom-e-reader-includ.html">Continue reading</a>)</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/library-uses-tags-to-link-onli.html"><b>Library Uses Tags to Link Online-Offline Recommendations</b></a></p> <p>LibraryTechNZ mentions an <a href="https://librarytechnz.natlib.govt.nz/2008/09/tagging-in-real-life.html">interesting engagement of a European library with its community</a>, something that bookstores could also do:</p> <blockquote><p>The library at the Hague in the Netherlands has introduced a simple form of tagging in real life. They now have two returns drop-boxes. One is for all items, and the other is for amazing books. Staff take the 'amazing' books and put them in the 'amazing books' display for visitors to browse. But they also tag them 'amazing' in the Library's collection database.</p></blockquote> <p class="related">Related:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/news/">See more publishing news and insight in the TOC News section</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=Ar83L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=Ar83L" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=FciEl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=FciEl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=NO7Il"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=NO7Il" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=znSSL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=znSSL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/397150385" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/397150385/news-roundup-customizable-maga.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/news-roundup-customizable-maga.html home page ereaders libraries magazines maghound newspapers subscriptions tagging Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/news-roundup-customizable-maga.html <p>LibraryTechNZ mentions an <a href="https://librarytechnz.natlib.govt.nz/2008/09/tagging-in-real-life.html">interesting engagement of a European library with its community</a>, something that bookstores could also do:</p> <blockquote><p>The library at the Hague in the Netherlands has introduced a simple form of tagging in real life. They now have two returns drop-boxes. One is for all items, and the other is for amazing books. Staff take the 'amazing' books and put them in the 'amazing books' display for visitors to browse. But they also tag them 'amazing' in the Library's collection database.</p></blockquote> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/rethinking-libraries-and-museu.html">Rethinking Libraries and Museums as "Living" Structures</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/08/booktour-and-indiebound-make-a.html">BookTour and IndieBound Make Author Events Hyper-Local</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/new-libraries-bring-new-privac.html">New "Libraries" Bring New Privacy Implications</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=Hle0L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=Hle0L" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=eyuPl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=eyuPl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=7sAkl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=7sAkl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=L4yLL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=L4yLL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/396394034" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/396394034/library-uses-tags-to-link-onli.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/library-uses-tags-to-link-onli.html Publishing News Read20 community library tagging Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:43:04 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/library-uses-tags-to-link-onli.html <p>Bob Guccione Jr. says the decline in print readership started long before the Internet arrived. From <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-guccione/the-future-of-media-or-ho_b_127189.html">The Huffington Post:</a></p> <blockquote><p> I know the conventional wisdom: that readership is being lost to the speed and efficiency of the Web. But I think the decline of traditional publishing, especially magazines, is more deeply rooted in an arrogance and laziness that goes back 30-plus years. It was once so easy to make money from publishing -- paper, printing and distribution were so cheap and newsstand sales and subscriptions so profitable that advertising revenue was gravy. Then it got more difficult, imperceptibly at first, and gradually more complicated. But, for some reason, whatever other market realities they acknowledged, publishers refused to accept that the perfect magic formula had spoiled.</p></blockquote> <p>(<a href="https://www.mediabistro.com/news/newsfeed/the_morning_newsfeed_091808_94859.asp">Via mediabistro.com's Morning News Feed</a>)</p> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.san&s=90062&Nid=47246&p=354545">Media Magazine: "The Future Of Media Round Table"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.digitaldeliverance.com/blog/2008/08/transforming_american_newspape.html">Vin Crosby: "Transforming American Newspapers"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/what-does-esquires-e-ink-cover.html">What Does Esquire's E Ink Cover Mean for Print Publishing?</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/pod-opens-door-to-magazine-exp.html">POD Opens Door to Magazine Experiments and Customization</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/how-hackers-show-its-not-all-b.html">How Hackers Show it's Not All Bad News at the New York Times</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/05/lessons-for-publishers-in-idgs.html">Lessons for Publishers in IDG's Digital Success</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=Xvj9L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=Xvj9L" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=S348l"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=S348l" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=2mDTl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=2mDTl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=cbfRL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=cbfRL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/396214013" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/396214013/guccione-print-downturn-traces.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/guccione-print-downturn-traces.html Publishing News audience Internet magazines newspapers print readership Web Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:23:39 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/guccione-print-downturn-traces.html <p><a href="https://nymag.com/news/media/50279/"><b>The End</b></a> (Boris Kachka, New York Magazine)</p> <blockquote><p>The kind of targeted, curated lists editors would love to publish will work even better in an electronic, niche-driven world, if only the innovators can get them there. Those owners who are genuinely interested in the industry's long-term survival would do well to hire scrappy entrepreneurs at every level, people who think like underdogs.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2008/09/part-three-bookstores-vs-online.html"><b>Part Three: Bookstores vs. Online</b></a> (Joe Wikert, Publishing 2020 Blog)</p> <blockquote><p>Why do loyalty programs always just have to be about one store/chain? Why can't there be a loyalty program that includes two or more stores I shop at most frequently? One might be a bookstore but others might be a grocery store, an electronics retailer or maybe a gas station. Points accumulated at all these locations would be pooled together so that one month I might redeem them for a book and the next month I might use them on my gas purchase.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.san&s=90062&Nid=47246&p=354545"><b>The Future Of Media Round Table</b></a> (Media Magazine)</p> <blockquote><p><i>Esther Dyson</i> -- I think part of what's happening is that as more and more media becomes possible, different kinds of information find their most suitable venue. Yellow pages are stupid on paper and they make more sense online. Whereas a book, that's linear; you're supposed to read from beginning to end, so it's fine on paper. So I think they'll persist in those forms. And a sort of visual-display kind of magazine makes a lot of sense. Anything that is interactive, where the data changes, like stock prices, again, makes no sense on paper. </p></blockquote> <p class="related">Related:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/news">TOC News</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com">TOC Analysis and Opinion</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=0SOLL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=0SOLL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=9JBJl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=9JBJl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=JySyl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=JySyl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=B3tXL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=B3tXL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/396147575" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/396147575/toc-recommended-reading-10.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/toc-recommended-reading-10.html Recommended Reading recommended reading Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/toc-recommended-reading-10.html <p>CNET/Tech Republic cracks open the Kindle and takes an in-depth look at its hardware. <a href="https://news.cnet.com/2300-1040_3-6246513-1.html?tag=mncol">Check out the photo gallery</a>.</p> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://igorsk.blogspot.com/2007/12/hacking-kindle-part-1-getting-console.html">Reversing Everything: "Hacking the Kindle"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/08/how-to-read-any-type-of-docume.html">How to Read any Type of Document on the Kindle (Almost)</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/digging-around-amazons-topaz-f.html">Digging Around Amazon's Topaz File Format</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=G4reL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=G4reL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=gG7bl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=gG7bl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=nAcTl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=nAcTl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=KAswL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=KAswL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/395524666" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/395524666/cnet-pops-the-kindles-hood-and.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/cnet-pops-the-kindles-hood-and.html Publishing News amazon devices ereaders hacking hardware kindle Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:15:40 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/cnet-pops-the-kindles-hood-and.html <p>The <a href="https://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB122143317323034023-lMyQjAxMDI4MjExNTQxMzUzWj.html">Wall Street Journal</a> says iPhone sales are stagnating in Japan:</p> <blockquote><p>According to market-research firm MM Research Institute, Apple sold about 200,000 phones in Japan in the first two months [July and August]. Since then, however, demand has been falling steadily, and analysts now widely believe sales are unlikely to reach a total of 500,000 units. That is half the one million units that they previously thought Apple could sell. One big challenge is that Japanese users already have access to some of the most advanced mobile-phone technologies in the world. Models currently sold by Japanese cellphone makers typically contain a high-end color display, digital TV-viewing capability, satellite navigation service, music player and digital camera. Many models also include chips that let owners use their phones as debit cards or train passes.</p></blockquote> <p>(<a href="https://www.moconews.net/entry/419-iphone-sales-in-japan-falling/">Via mocoNews</a>)</p> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/08/qa-with-developer-who-turns-eb.html">Q&A with Developer Who Turns Ebooks into iPhone Applications</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/survey-of-book-industry-reacti.html">Survey of Book Industry Reaction to New iPhone and App Store</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/mobile-barcode-scanners-and-re.html">Mobile Barcode Scanners and Retail Stores on Collision Course</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/open-question-all-in-one-devic.html#comment-2042797">Open Question: All-in-One Devices or Single Use E-Readers?</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=EF9WL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=EF9WL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=ZqVpl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=ZqVpl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=k1ASl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=k1ASl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=rPKhL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=rPKhL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/395427358" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/395427358/iphone-not-hot-in-japan.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/iphone-not-hot-in-japan.html Publishing News Read20 devices international iphone japan mobile Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:00:05 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/iphone-not-hot-in-japan.html <p><a href="https://www.maghound.com/home.ep">Maghound</a>, a customizable magazine service from Time Inc., is now available. From <a href="https://www.foliomag.com/2008/time-inc-s-maghound-launches">Folio</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>The membership pricing is tiered-- three titles for $4.95 a month, five titles for $7.95, seven titles for $9.95, and $1 per title for eight titles or more. Memberships can be entirely managed online, as well as by email and phone, from changing magazine title selections to updating personal information and placing magazine delivery on hold for a temporary period.</p></blockquote> <p>Maghound allows customers to mix and match magazines, but it does not integrate with current subscriptions. From the <a href="https://www.maghound.com/faq-membership.ep#20">Maghound FAQ</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Maghound is a completely independent magazine service. Ordering through us does not affect any current subscriptions you may already have. So, if you order a magazine through us that you already subscribe to, you will receive a duplicate copy.</p></blockquote> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/time-inc-prepping-mix-and-matc.html">Time Inc. Prepping Mix and Match Magazine Service</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/05/bncom-selling-digital-magazine.html">BN.com Selling Digital Magazine Subscriptions and Back Issues</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/07/pod-opens-door-to-magazine-exp.html">POD Opens Door to Magazine Experiments and Customization</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/what-does-esquires-e-ink-cover.html">What Does Esquire's E Ink Cover Mean for Print Publishing?</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=n36zL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=n36zL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=TQ8Il"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=TQ8Il" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=Tmxtl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=Tmxtl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=8h4QL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=8h4QL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/395353353" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/395353353/maghound-customizable-magazine.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/maghound-customizable-magazine.html Publishing News digital content digital delivery magazines maghound subscription service subscriptions Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:24:30 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/maghound-customizable-magazine.html <p>France Telecom's Read & Go trial service bundles e-reader hardware with a subscription to mobile content. From <a href="https://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/sep2008/gb20080911_492474.htm?campaign_id=rss_eu">BusinessWeek</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>The trial of the prototype will wrap up this month, and by 2009, France Telecom aims to start distributing the Read & Go in conjunction with a subscription-based news service of the same name. For a monthly charge similar to a mobile service plan, customers will receive an over-the-air stream of aggregated content from a wide assortment of information sources. Alongside the articles will be ads that help defray the cost of the service. </p></blockquote> <p>Read & Go is being positioned as a "<a href="https://www.francetelecom.com/en_EN/press/press_releases/cp080417.html">mobile newspaper kiosk</a>." Amazon's Kindle offers similar access to newspapers, magazines and blogs, but subscription fees are charged on a <a href="https://astore.amazon.com/.Kindle.Subscriptions-20">title-by-title basis</a>. The Kindle is not currently sold internationally and Read & Go will only be available in France, so direct competition between the devices/services won't occur in the near term.</p> <p>Earlier this year, Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad partnered with iRex Technologies to sell <a href="https://www.irextechnologies.com/files/Press%20Release%20NRC%2003062008_english.pdf">digital newspaper subscriptions bundled with iRex's iLiad e-reader</a> (pdf). iRex also manufactures the Read & Go device. <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://www.francetelecom.com/en_EN/press/press_releases/cp080417.html">Read & Go press release</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/media/21adco.html?_r=3&ref=technology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin">New York Times: "Reading Device Enlisted to Help French Papers"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/what-does-esquires-e-ink-cover.html">What Does Esquire's E Ink Cover Mean for Print Publishing?</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/uk-reaction-to-sony-reader-rel.html">UK Reaction to Sony Reader Release</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/open-question-all-in-one-devic.html">Open Question: All-in-One Devices or Single Use E-Readers?</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=UuFXL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=UuFXL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=6YXsl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=6YXsl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=Kz67l"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=Kz67l" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=fnllL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=fnllL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/395226093" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/395226093/france-telecom-e-reader-includ.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/france-telecom-e-reader-includ.html Publishing News ereaders france telecom kindle newspapers read & go subscriptions Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:36:57 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/france-telecom-e-reader-includ.html <p>Despite the bell tolling on the publishing industry lately, the publishers who are doing well these days are those who have focus. Publishers who have a consistent message, who create content about specific things, seem not to be paddling the lifeboat with broad, generalized trade publishers. Niches, areas of concentration -- call them what you will, but this is where the future of publishing lies. Just as cable TV brought about a revolution in video consumption -- movies on this channel, comedy on this other one, news on this third one -- digital distribution has brought about a revolution in publishing. It's just a question of understanding where the ground is moving under your feet.</p> <p>Digital tools -- such as e-books, book trailers, widgets, what have you -- are just that: tools. They are no substitution for product -- nor will they sell a product that doesn't deserve to be sold. Funneling money into "digital initiatives" is wasting money -- unless those initiatives are clearly defined. </p> <p>How to define them? How to read the tea leaves and figure out what initiatives actually make sense and which are a money pit?</p> <p>The StartWithXML team has looked at XML itself for guidance. XML tools allow people -- editors, authors, production teams -- to "componentize," to break content down into irreducible parts, to re-use those parts, to publish content more than once. If your book content is sufficiently tagged, you can re-use it early and often. </p> <p>I think about one of my favorite authors, Wayne Dyer. He writes his books. From those books are generated calendars, one-a-day cards, daily journals, audiobooks, supplementary materials (such as meditations). If Hay House felt like it, they could send an email containing an inspirational quote to my inbox every morning. Dyer writes once. But Hay House publishes his stuff many times over, in many different formats. If he feels like doing more, they provide him with a platform for podcasts, conferences, interviews, and opportunities to preface or foreword other Hay House authors' books.</p> <p>Doing these sorts of tricks -- and creating loads of interesting and compelling products almost as byproducts of your original content -- is much easier and cost-effective if you're already using XML. The "chunks" of content are pre-defined. You don't have to make iterative runs at the original manuscript and figure out what can be re-used; you know from the get-go what you WILL re-use.</p> <p>This is not anti-literary. It's pro-keeping-your-publishing-house-in-business. And the sooner trade houses realize what their verticals actually are, and pursue them with the savage focus that the niche publishers do, the sooner everyone is happy: the consumer, who gets loads of content; the author, who gets loads of royalties; and the publisher, who is squeezing every last penny out of each word the author writes.</p> <p class="related">Related:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/startwithxml">See more StartWithXML posts</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=lBCTL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=lBCTL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=wUy0l"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=wUy0l" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=q1Arl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=q1Arl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=A9y5L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=A9y5L" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/395301511" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/395301511/chunks-and-verticals-and-niche.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/chunks-and-verticals-and-niche.html startwithxml Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/chunks-and-verticals-and-niche.html <p>The face-off between Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader is broadening beyond tech specs and ebook formats. Now it's a battle of distribution channels. </p> <p>Sony started selling its PRS-505 e-reader and related accessories in <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330376,00.asp">Target stores earlier this week</a>. Sony Readers are also available through Borders, <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/uk-reaction-to-sony-reader-rel.html">Waterstone's</a>, and Web retailers, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sony-PRS-505-LC-Digital-Reader/dp/B000WP2RC2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1221572026&sr=8-1">including third-party sellers on Amazon</a>.</p> <p>Amazon's Kindle push is limited to one very large Web channel: Amazon. But will that be enough to seize the e-reader market? <a href="https://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2008/09/sony-reader-now-selling-at-target.html">Joe Wikert recently touched on this topic</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>... Amazon has an awareness problem. They might be thrilled with the device's sales rate up to now. It may have exceeded their greatest expectations. They apparently insist on capturing 100% of the revenue for it though, hence their direct-only sales model. Meanwhile, Sony is chipping away by embracing the EPub format and striking distribution deals with Borders and now Target.</p></blockquote> <p>The Web has a tendency to amplify messages beyond their natural boundaries, sometimes to the point where Web hits are incorrectly projected as surefire mainstream blockbusters -- be they devices or <a href="https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1333802,00.html">movies</a> or <a href="https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/dean.html">anything else</a> that generates ample Web interest. Amazon's reach and the Kindle's technology -- especially its wireless capabilities -- have painted the Kindle as the dominant device in Web circles. But hit products need to resonate with the millions of people who don't pour through RSS feeds on an hourly basis, and Sony knows a <a href="https://gizmodo.com/363191/sony-trinitron-timeline-shows-why-it-will-live-forever-in-our-hearts">thing</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman">two</a> about nurturing the mass market. Assuming we <i>eventually</i> receive <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/06/the-pitfalls-of-publishings-er.html">confirmed e-reader sales figures</a>, it'll be interesting to see how Amazon's mix of online publicity and Amazon-only distribution stacks up against Sony's traditional approach.</p> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2008/09/sony-reader-now-selling-at-target.html">Joe Wikert: "Sony Reader Now Selling at Target"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/08/analyst-amazon-downplays-rumor.html">Analyst: Amazon Downplays Rumored Kindle Sales</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/uk-reaction-to-sony-reader-rel.html">UK Reaction to Sony Reader Release</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/06/the-pitfalls-of-publishings-er.html">The Pitfalls of Publishing's E-Reader Guessing Game</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/08/open-question-have-you-seen-a.html">Open Question: Have You Seen a Kindle in Public?</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=vFq5L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=vFq5L" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=zLHQl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=zLHQl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=2n0Jl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=2n0Jl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=T8H2L"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=T8H2L" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/395134515" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/395134515/kindle-vs-sony-reader-battle-o.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/kindle-vs-sony-reader-battle-o.html Devices Marketing amazon distribution ereaders kindle retail retailers sony reader Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/kindle-vs-sony-reader-battle-o.html <p>20 new listings have been added to the <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com">TOC Directory</a> in the last week, including:</p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/listing/impelsys.html">Impelsys</A></li> <li> <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/listing/darby_printing.html">Darby Printing</A></li> <li> <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/listing/kensai_international_ltd.html">Kensai International Ltd.</A></li> <li> <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/listing/shelfari.html">Shelfari</A></li> <li> <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/listing/mofuse.html">MoFuse</A></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com">Visit the TOC Directory</a> to add your own <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/advertise.php?listing">listings</a> and <a href="https://directory.toc.oreilly.com/advertise.php?event">events</a>.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=WVSYL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=WVSYL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=TsQ7l"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=TsQ7l" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=bOAll"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=bOAll" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=iIuKL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=iIuKL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/394378786" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/394378786/toc-directory-recent-additions-10.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/toc-directory-recent-additions-10.html home page toc directory Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:51:24 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/toc-directory-recent-additions-10.html <p>If the backlash to Electronic Arts' new game "<a href="https://www.spore.com/ftl">Spore</a>" serves as a sign of things to come, strict digital rights management (DRM) restrictions are transforming from <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/04/charting-the-pitfalls-of-drm.html">consumer annoyances</a> into full-fledged business mistakes. From <a href="https://www.forbes.com/intelligentinfrastructure/2008/09/12/spore-drm-piracy-tech-security-cx_ag_mji_0912spore.html">Forbes</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>In just the 24-hour period between Wednesday [9/10] and Thursday [9/11], illegal downloaders snagged more than 35,000 copies, and, as of Thursday evening, that rate of downloads was still accelerating. "The numbers are extraordinary," [Eric] Garland [CEO of Big Champagne] says. "This is a very high level of torrent activity even for an immensely popular game title." </p> <p>Electronic Arts had hoped to limit users to installing the game only three times through its use of digital rights management software, or DRM. But not only have those constraints failed, says Garland, they may have inadvertently spurred the pirates on.</blockquote> <p>On Amazon, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000FKBCX4/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1">"Spore's" one-star customer rating</a> is driven by anti-DRM sentiment rather than analysis of the game itself. It's likely only a small percentage of "Spore's" potential customer base knows or cares about DRM, but Amazon's star-system shorthand makes no distinction between reviewers passing judgement on the game and those engaging in DRM activism. Deserved or not, a one-star rating averaged from thousands of reviews is the very definition of <i>caveat emptor</i>, particularly for casual shoppers who encounter "Spore's" listing down the road.</p> <p>The combination of <a href="https://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/drm_is_helping_spore_make_history_as_the_most_pirated_game_ever.php">"Spore's" long history on the gaming world's radar</a> and the publicity push surrounding its release will undoubtedly lead to good sales in the early going (<a href="https://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10040941-52.html">anecdotal</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/videogames/ref=pd_ts_zbw_vg_videogames_more?&pf_rd_p=304529601&pf_rd_s=right-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=468642&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=157VJBSF7NYHHN7ZGTRA">evidence</a> suggests this is already the case). But "Spore" is one of those hyper-immersive games that's <a href="https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/youtube-finds-its-way-into-spore.html">shaped by its users</a>, and this DRM flap may ultimately limit adoption and future product opportunities.</p> <p class="related">Related Stories:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/drm_is_helping_spore_make_history_as_the_most_pirated_game_ever.php">ReadWriteWeb: "DRM Helps Spore Make History as The Most Pirated Game Ever"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://consumerist.com/5048556/want-more-than-one-account-on-yourspore-game-buy-another-copy-sucker">The Consumerist: "Want More Than One Account On Your 'Spore' Game? Buy Another Copy"</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/08/pirates-convince-game-develope.html">Pirates Convince Game Developer to Drop DRM</a></li> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/04/charting-the-pitfalls-of-drm.html">Charting the Pitfalls of DRM</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=U3SsL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=U3SsL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=F5hWl"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=F5hWl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=3QGal"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=3QGal" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=5lbxL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=5lbxL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/394143840" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/394143840/spore-backlash-is-drm-official.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/spore-backlash-is-drm-official.html Marketing community digital rights management drm spore video games Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/spore-backlash-is-drm-official.html <p>A very experienced former book packager who has moved on to become an industry observer and critic of some note pushed back on my suggestion on Friday that authors could be involved in tagging content for contextual meaning. "Not in this lifetime," was his comment, and he suggested that copy editors or managing editors might be the more likely candidates to mark what we're looking for.</p> <p>Among other things, our critic suggests that the usual consequence of having an author mess with the code is that the next job the packager or publisher has to do is pull out a lot of not-useful clutter.</p> <p>What are we looking for? We want the biographies within a historical book that are used to introduce the characters. We want the place descriptions from any book -- many from novels -- that would be of interest to anybody visiting or looking for information about the place. We want to know which of the woodworking projects in a collection are suitable for Christmas, or require minimal tools, or a minimal skill level, so that we can create different collections for different audiences.</p> <p>All things like this, the author will know best, usually better than the copy editor. Also better than the acquiring editor. And certainly better than the managing editor.</p> <p>Extracting the value of the author's knowledge and developing the tool sets and workflows that make it functional to incorporate it in the XML document of a book will require a lot of reinvention. In that sense, "not in this lifetime" is an accurate metaphor for when it will happen. Publishing needs some "born again" changes and this is one of them.</p> <p class="related">Related:</p> <ul class="related"> <li> <a href="https://toc.oreilly.com/startwithxml">See more StartWithXML posts</a></li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=BUoYL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=BUoYL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=LBKll"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=LBKll" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=nhxll"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=nhxll" border="0"></img></a> <a href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?a=kd4TL"><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TocCombinedFeed?i=kd4TL" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~4/394421226" height="1" width="1"/> https://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TocCombinedFeed/~3/394421226/can-the-author-really-help.html https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/can-the-author-really-help.html startwithxml Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:07:04 -0500 https://toc.oreilly.com/2008/09/can-the-author-really-help.html